The Casket Of Artemis
by Matrix14
Summary: It's Ginny's sixth year At Hogwarts and she's in danger from Voldemort, who has bewitched everyone's favourite wizard. Severus is her only hope, but can he save her? Slight romance. r/r!
1. Dreams

The Casket Of Artemis  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 1 - Dreams  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Severus Snape stalked down the corridor to the dungeons, glaring at the flaming torches on the walls.  
If looks could kill, the subjects of the pictures on the walls would be dead ten times over.  
  
Today had started with Potter sending a cauldron of boiling potion cascading over the bottom of   
Severus's robe. Then Longbottom had trodden on his foot in his rush to get out of the way of the  
potion. And THEN the Weasley boy had accidentally set his own robes on fire, which in turn had made   
the shelves of books combust spilling black smoke into the classroom and adding to the confusion.  
  
Suddenly, a red haired missile hit him in the chest. He looked down and saw the tear stained face of   
the youngest Weasley.   
  
"Weasley..." He growled.  
  
"S-sorry, sir." She stammered, turning bright red and furiously rubbing her eyes. "Sorry, I d-didn't mean  
t-to..." She gave a small sob and ran away down the corridor.  
  
"Weasley! Get back here!" He yelled at her retreating back, but she disappeared round the corner, her  
head in her hands. "Oof!"   
  
He was winded as another figure barrelled into him. It was Potter.  
  
"Where did she go?!" He yelled at Severus.  
  
Although Harry was a seventh year, he was still slightly smaller than Severus, who grabbed hold of him.  
  
"Right, Potter! WHY are you running through the corridors?" He asked, "And what did you do to   
Weasley?" He added as an afterthought.  
  
"Oh, get off me!" He said, disgruntled, pulling his arm away from Severus.   
  
"I asked you a question, Potter."  
  
"I'm chasing after Ginny, not that it's any of your business. And I haven't done anything to her."  
  
"Hmm. Well get outside. The sun hasn't gone down yet and I'm sure no one wants you getting injured  
so you can't play the quidditch match." He added with a sneer. "Get out!"  
  
Harry gave him an insolent glare and stalked past him, knocking him with unneccessary force.  
  
Severus breathed deeply, but took his anger out on a painting. The Tudor lady who had been sitting   
sewing jumped up and screamed as she turned into a rat.   
  
Severus gave a twisted smile and continued his march to his chambers.  
  
  
That Night  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Severus, I need you to make up a potion for me." Proffessor Dumbledore said.  
  
"Of course. Which potion do you require?" Severus replied.  
  
"Inframus Procutus."  
  
"Certainly. May I ask why?" Severus asked, curiously.  
  
"I have been informed by a reliable source that one of the students will require protection from the  
dark arts in the coming months. I have taken the action of preparing many charms and I will be needing  
the procutus potion to complete the incantation." Proffessor Dumbledore spoke as always in his gentle  
yet commanding voice. He was completely calm.  
  
"May I ask which student?" Severus asked.  
  
"Unfortunately, Severus, to reveal her identity would be to betray the confidence entrusted in me. As   
she herself does not yet know of the coming dangers, I do not feel it would be right for anyone else to  
know. Also," He added, "I do not wish to risk the chance of any word of my knowledge reaching the   
ears of Voldemort."  
  
"But, Albus!" Severus exclaimed, "You know I would never betray your trust. Especially to Voldemort!"  
  
Proffessor Dumbledore remained calm and regarded Severus carefully.  
  
"I was not meaning to imply that you would, I merely meant that spies could be lurking anywhere. The   
more people that know, the more danger there is. Surely you understand?"  
  
"Yes, of course. I apologise."  
  
"Not at all. Now, I will be needing that potion tomorrow."  
  
"But I'll need a hair from the pupil for the potion to work." Severus reminded him.  
  
"That is being taken care of. Poppy will bring you a hair from the pupil, however she will not know what  
it is for."  
  
"Good. I'll be in my office, Albus." Severus nodded and left.  
  
Proffessor Dumbledore sighed wistfully and sat down in his chair, thoughtfully stroking his beard.   
  
  
Later that night, Severus's office  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Severus rose from his seat as there was a knock at the door. He opened it to see Madame Pomfrey  
holding a single hair.  
  
"Severus." She said in her usual crisp manner, "Albus instructed me to bring you this."  
  
"Thank you, Poppy." Severus took the hair from her.  
  
"Is there anything else you'll be needing?" She asked.  
  
"No thank you, Poppy. Now, if you don't mind, I really must get on with this..." He spoke sharply,   
making it clear that the conversation was over.  
  
"Yes, of course. Good night, Severus." She turned and walked back down the corridor, not bothering to  
wait for the return of the 'good night', because she knew it would never come.  
  
Severus shut the door firmly her and peered at the hair. It was long, so obviously a girl's, and bright   
flame red. Only one person in the school had hair like that. It belonged to the Weasley girl.  
  
"Well, well." He muttered to himself, "If it's not Potter, it's one of his cronies."  
  
He took the hair over to the desk and dropped it into the small cauldron. The green, evil smelling liquid  
bubbled and hissed and turned a rather lurid purple in colour. He spooned a ladle full of the potion into  
a glass jar and sealed it.   
  
Placing the jar on a shelf, he put out the torches round the walls with his wand and retired into his  
chambers.  
  
  
Meanwhile, in Harry and Ron's dormitory  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"But you can't do that, Harry!" Dean said loudly.  
  
"Just watch me." Harry said grimly.  
  
"But what did she do to make you hate her this much?" Dean asked. "You two are perfect for each   
other."  
  
"Were perfect for each other." Harry corrcted. "Now she's dumped me and humiliated me infront of  
the whole school. I have plenty of reason to hate her."  
  
"No," said Dean, shaking his head, "It's more than that. You didn't freak like this when Parvati dumped   
you."  
  
"Well this is different." Harry snapped. An evil grin spread over his face. "Just wait till I've finished with  
them, then she'll be sorry."  
  
"But he's a teacher. That's TEACHER. You just can't do that to a teacher. It's suicide!" Dean protested.  
  
"I figured it was just a way of killing to birds with one stone. Him and her. Both of them. Ha!" he   
laughed, "This'll be scandal of the century." His features darkened once more, "Oh yes, she'll be sorry!"  
  
"Harry, you're starting to scare me." Dean said, backing away.  
  
"I'm starting to scare myself." Harry whispered, the grin still evident on his features.  
  
  
Meanwhile, Severus is dreaming...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In a dark room, cold, and only lit from one corner by the wand of the wizard facing him, Severus could  
see nothing except the wizard's face.  
  
"Pettigrew!" He gasped, but the wizard seemed not to hear him.  
  
"Wormtail!" A high pitched voice said sharply from behing Severus, "Get over here!"  
  
Severus felt a shiver of horror run down his spine. He knew that voice, he would know it anywhere.  
  
"Master?" Wormtail asked, kneeling before the bodyless voice.  
  
"Is the bewitching done?" The high voice asked.  
  
"Yes, master. It has worked well."  
  
"Good."  
  
"If I may ask, master..." Wormtail began, "What is the purpose of this action?"  
  
"The purpose, Wormtail, is that we kill two birds with one stone."  
  
"Two birds...?"  
  
"The girl and the traitor."  
  
"Ah, but master is that wise? It could arouse too much suspicion..."  
  
"Silence! Even if it does create suspicion, I have enough power to once again take control!"  
  
"Yes, master. I'm sorry master..." Wormtail grovelled.  
  
"Quiet!" The voice screamed. "I feel strong enough to assume my form. Help me." It commanded.   
  
Wormtail whimpered, but didn't protest. He placed a wand on the floor and closed his eyes, muttering  
what looked like a silent prayer for forgiveness.  
  
Severus held his breath as a blinding light began to appear. In a flash that caused Severus to cry out and  
sheild his eyes, a figure appeared.  
  
Severus gasped as the face of his once master glared down at Wormtail with glowing red eyes.   
  
"Now get out of my sight!" He hissed.  
  
Wormtail scrambled to his feet, a trembling mass of filthy robes. He scurried out of the room.  
  
Voldemort turned to Severus.  
  
"As for you..." He lifted his wand.  
  
Severus felt a wall of light hit hit and woke up. He sat bolt upright, covered in sweat. He held a   
trembling hand to his forehead.  
  
//Get a grip, Severus. It was a dream.//  
  
But something inside him stirred and told him that it was more than that. He hurredly dressed and   
went to find Proffessor Dumbledore.  
  
  
  
  
To Be Continued.....  



	2. The United

Chapter 2 - The United  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Severus knocked on Proffessor Dumbledore's door and waited to be called inside.  
  
"Enter!" Came the voice.  
  
Severus pushed open the door and burst in.  
  
"Albus! I -" He stopped as he saw that sitting opposite Proffessor Dumbledore was Ginny Weasley,   
looking very pale and frightened. "Sorry." He muttered, "I'll come back later."  
  
He began to back out of the door but Albus said,  
  
"No, no. Stay. I think what Ginny has to say might be of relevance to you."  
  
Severus gave Ginny a puzzled look.  
  
//How can anything she says be relevant to me?//  
  
He took the seat next to Ginny, and waited for Proffessor Dumbledore to explain.  
  
"Ginny came to see me because she had a rather frightful dream." Proffessor Dumbledore turned to  
Ginny, "Please describe what you saw." He said gently.  
  
She nodded and took a deep breath.  
  
"I was in this room. It was all dark and there was a wizard I didn't know standing in one corner. Then   
this high-pitched voice called the person 'Wormtail' and he went to stand near the direction of the   
voice." She paused, taking a ragged breath, "The voice said that they'd bewitched someone, and that   
they'd kill two people...a girl and a traitor." She paused again as Severus took a sharp breath in,   
realising that he'd had exactly the same dream. "Then the th-thing got a body and it was..." She   
hicupped, "It was You-Know-Who! He cursed m-me and I woke up."  
  
She sank her head into her hands and began to sob. Dumbledore looked at her sympathetically, then   
turned to Severus.  
  
"Severus. Why did you come to see me?"  
  
"I came because I'd had a dream."  
  
"I see."  
  
"And the dream was exactly the same one as..." He stopped.  
  
"So you both had the same dream." Dumbledore said. "Do either of you have any idea what that could   
mean?"  
  
Ginny shook her head miserably, but Severus was thinking quickly, putting two and two together.  
  
"In the dream..." He said slowly, "He said 'the girl and the traitor'. I presume I'm the traitor so..." He   
left the sentence open for Dumbledore to finish.  
  
"Ginny." Dumbledore said, bringing Ginny out of her silent weeping, "I'm afraid it appears that you are   
Voldemort's new target."  
  
"B-but why? It's Harry he hates, not me!" She wailed.  
  
"I believe it is something to do with the theory of 'the United'." Dumbledore said, getting up and pacing  
back and forth stroking his beard. "Both you and Severus have thwarted Voldemort's plans to gain  
control."  
  
"Me?" Ginny exclaimed, "But what have I done?"  
  
"You were bewitched by Tom Riddle's diary, but you had enough willpower to prevent him gaining   
control of you completely. You fought him, making it impossible for him to achieve control as quickly as   
he hoped. As you have both prevented him from gaining power, you are targets."  
  
"But what about Potter?" Severus asked, "Surely he's stopped Voldemort more times than we have."  
  
"True. But I believe Voldemort has bigger things planned for Harry. For the moment he will settle for the  
death of you."  
  
"What's the theory of The United?" Ginny asked quietly.  
  
"Ah!" Dumbledore said, "I believe that is your hope for survival." He sat back down again and looked  
straight at Ginny, "Hundreds of years ago, a wizard almost as powerful as Voldemort began gaining  
power. He singled out two victims who had thwarted him previously, a young girl and a man, and  
waged war against them. They managed to defeat him by becoming The United." He paused and   
cleared his throat. "At the final battle, they bound themselves together magically, making the power   
they mastered far greater. The combined power of the two of them crushed the wizard and they   
survived unharmed."  
  
"So we use that?" Severus asked.  
  
"Yes, well. That's the problem. The binding only worked because the two were close friends, some even  
say that they were lovers. Without having a link with the other person beforehand, and a strong link at  
that, the spell will cause the death of both parties." He looked hard at both of them, "Unless you can  
become friends, there is nothing more I can do."  
  
"But isn't there something else?" Severus asked.  
  
"Nothing that would be able to defeat such a strong power."  
  
Severus looked at Ginny.   
  
//Oh God. What did I do to deserve this?//  
  
"There is one more condition." Dumbledore said with a smirk on his face. "To re-enforce the bond   
between you, you will have to spend more time together."  
  
Severus groaned inwardly.  
  
Ginny, who had been silent, asked,  
  
"How much time?"   
  
"At least twelve hours each day."  
  
"How can that work?" Severus asked, "I have to teach, she has to go to her lessons."  
  
"I have already thought of that." Dumbledore answered, "As no one else is to know of this, I shall say   
that Miss Weasley is on what is called 'work experience' in the muggle world. She will accompany you   
to your lessons, and sit at the staff table for meals, because she is 'seeing what it is like to be a teacher  
at Hogwarts'. Your 'work experience' will begin this morning."  
  
  
Meanwhile, outside the door to Dumbledore's office, crouched Harry, his ear against the door. He   
grinned to himself as the voice in the back of his head said,  
  
"Now the plan will work better than ever. You have succeeded well."  
  
Satisfied that he had heard enough, Harry stood up and crept silently away, ready to put the first part of  
the plan into action.  
  
  
The kitchens  
~~~~~~~~  
Harry stepped through the painting of the fruit and saw all the house elves busily working to get   
breakfast ready. He spotted what he was looking for and hurried over.  
  
"Harry Potter!" A squeal came and Harry was almost bowled over by Dobby flinging his arms round his   
waist.  
  
"Hello Dobby."  
  
"Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?" Dobby asked excitedly.  
  
"No thank you, Dobby. I'm in a hurry."  
  
"Of course, of course." Dobby whipped out a chair, "Sit down, Harry Potter, sit down!"  
  
Harry sat down obligingly.  
  
"Dobby, I wonder if you could tell me which goblet is Proffessor Snape's?"  
  
"Ah yes, sir! It is this one!" Dobby pointed to a golden goblet. "Why must Harry Potter know this?"  
  
"Oh, me and Ron were just going to have a little fun today at breakfast," Harry said, lying through his  
back teeth, "Just a little joke."  
  
"But sir!" Dobby's eyes grew wide, "Harry Potter will get into trouble!"  
  
"Don't worry, Dobby. No one'll notice."  
  
"As long as Harry Potter is sure."  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"I will make myself busy somewhere else, so that Harry Potter can do joke." Dobby winked at Harry  
conspiratorily and scurried off.  
  
Harry looked round to make sure none of the other elves were looking, then took from his sleeve  
a small packet. He emptied the green powder it contained into Severus's goblet and stirred it in, till no  
trace was visible. He slipped the packet back into his sleeve and stood up.  
  
"Bye, Dobby!" Harry waved to him.  
  
"Good bye, Harry Potter!" Dobby called back. He winked again, "Good luck!"  
  
Harry winked back and smiled. He ducked through the picture again and his face became stony.   
  
Now just to wait until breakfast, then the fun would begin.  
  
  
Two hours later, at breakfast.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Harry sat by himself at the Gryffindor table, surrounded by the noise of everyone enjoying their   
breakfast.  
  
Ron and Hermione were taking a walk by the lake, and Dean, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati were   
together next to him, whispering and giggling about something.  
  
He looked down at his sausages and decided that he was no longer hungry. He pushed his plate away   
and sat and waited.  
  
Suddenly, Ginny came hurrying in, holding a goblet. She cast a glance at Harry, then turned away to talk  
to Dean and Seamus.  
  
"What's in the goblet, Ginny?" Seamus asked.  
  
"Oh, it's this medicine that Madame Pomfrey gave me. I've been feeling a little under the weather lately.  
Have you seen Ron?" She asked.  
  
"No. He's down at the lake with Hermione." Dean said. Lavender and Parvati giggled.  
  
"Could you give him this?" Ginny put her goblet down and produced a piece of parchment and a quill.   
  
As she scribbled a message, Harry moved his sleeve over Ginny's goblet, making it look like he was   
reaching for the pumpkin juice, and let a little of the powder fall into the greenish-blue medicine.  
  
Ginny took hold of the goblet again and Harry busied himself with pouring out his juice.  
  
"Where are you going, Ginny?" Dean asked as she began to walk away.   
  
"That's what the note's about." She explained. "I'm starting work experience as a teacher today, so I  
have to sit at the staff table."  
  
"Oh." Dean said, puzzled, "Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"It was a last minute kind of thing."  
  
"Okay then. See you later."  
  
"Yeah." She nodded and walked up to the staff table.   
  
Proffessor Dumbledore indicated a seat with a nod of his head, and Ginny found, to her displeasure, that  
she was sitting next to Severus.  
  
He gave her a grim smile,  
  
"Good morning, Miss Weasley."  
  
"Proffessor."  
  
She took her seat and raised the goblet to her lips, wrinkling her nose at the bitter taste of the   
medicine.  
  
She felt her head get lighter, as if someone had lifted a great weight of it, and she suddenly felt dizzy.   
She presumed it was a side effect of the medicine.  
  
"Are you alright?" Severus asked her, noticing her go pale.  
  
"Yes, sorry. I just felt a little dizzy."  
  
Ginny put her hand down on the table to steady herself, and knocked a fork to the floor. Both she and  
Severus bent to pick it up, and in the instant that their hands touched, Ginny felt a tremor of electricity  
run through her fingers.   
  
She glanced quickly at Severus, and noticed the same puzzlement on his face. He had obviously felt it   
too.  
  
He quickly removed his hand and sat straight again. Ginny picked up the fork, a little dazed and   
wondered what had just happened.  
  
Harry, who had been watching out of the corner of his eye, saw what happened. He alone saw the   
spark of blue electricity jump between them. He smiled to himself darkly. The spell was already working  
on them and soon they'd no longer be able to resist the desire it had created in them. Soon they would  
be bonded in a deeper way than Dumbledore ever meant for them to be. Soon, they'd be ready for  
the final stage of Voldemort's plan.  
  
  
Far away, in the small, dark room, Voldemort laughed his high, cold laugh. His plan had worked   
perfectly. Not only was Harry putty in his hands, but soon the other two would be unable to resist  
each other, and would fall into a spell-induced love, making the killing of them both far easier than it   
would have been.  
  
Now, no one could stop him from regaining the power he felt he was owed. Not even Harry Potter.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued......  



	3. Beginning

Chapter 3: Beginning  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny took a deep breath as the first of the Gryffindor seventh years straggled through the door of  
the potions dungeon. Dean grinned at her and Seamus waggled his eyebrows, getting a slap on the  
arm from Lavender. She grinned back half-heartedly, but continued biting her nails.  
  
From behind her, Severus cleared his throat and she jumped to attention.  
  
"Come on! Get on with it!" He snapped at the Gryffindors. They glared back.  
  
"Well, as I was saying to father..." A familiar drawl came down the corridor.  
  
Ginny groaned inwardly. She'd forgotten that the Slytherins had potions with the Gryffindors.  
  
Draco Malfoy rounded the door and broke off as he spotted Ginny. He and his two minions broke into  
identical evil grins.  
  
"Hey, Weasely!" He said, giving her a sarcastic wave. She scowled at him and he grinned even more.  
  
//Why does my life go from bad to worse and then to absolute crap?// She thought.  
  
Harry appeared at the door, closely followed by Ron and Hermione, who were holding hands. Severus  
gave them a poisonous look.  
  
"Weasley and Granger." He said lazily, "Please disentangle yourselves from one another and sit down."  
  
The Slytherins sniggered appreciatively.  
  
Ron went red and hurredly sat down, followed by Hermione, who gave Ginny an encouraging smile.   
From the look on Ron's face he was still in shock that his sister was taking a potions lesson.  
  
"Right." Severus said, breaking into an evil smile, "Today you will be making simple love potions."  
  
The Gryffindors groaned, knowing how embarrasing Severus would make it for them.  
  
Hermione, however, had her hand up.  
  
"But proffessor, aren't love potions against the school rules?"  
  
"Don't worry, Miss Granger, I have Proffessor Dumbledore's personal permission." Severus grinned   
wider, "Now. You need to be in pairs. Miss Weasley," He turned to Ginny, "You can choose the   
Gryffindor pairs. I will choose the Slytherin pairs."  
  
Ginny nodded and walked over to the Gryffindors while Severus let the Slytherins arrange themselves   
into pairs.  
  
Automatically, the Gryffindors moved into pairs.  
  
"Okay." Ginny said, "Have you all got a partner you're happy with?"  
  
They all nodded. She felt a twinge of jealousy as she saw Harry sitting next to a girl called Jenni, who   
was new to the year.  
  
//Stop it, Ginny. He's nothing to do with you anymore. You're not together anymore, he can do what   
he likes.// She thought. But it didn't make her feel any better.  
  
"Don't let him do anything to us, Ginny." Begged Neville, who was sitting next to a scared looking   
Austrian exchange student.  
  
"I'll try." She said, smiling to make him feel better.  
  
"You will find the instructions on page 170 of your books." Severus said from the front desk, "We may   
be testing the potions at the end of the lesson."   
  
Neville gave a small squeak of terror and turned slightly green. Ginny walked back up to the front of the   
classroom and stood, awaiting instructions.  
  
The class began shredding their rose petals, and measuring amounts of lavender oil.  
  
"Go and watch the Slytherins." Severus told her. She nodded and walked over to them, silently cursing  
him as she saw the look on Draco's face.  
  
"Hello Weasley." He began, while his partner, a girl called Manisha (somehow, Draco had managed to   
avoid being partnered with Pansy), shredded the roses. "So, how come you're doing this?"  
  
"It's work experience." Ginny told him.   
  
"Why would you want to do work experience with Proffessor Snape?" He asked.  
  
"He was the only teacher available." Ginny told him sharply, avoiding looking at him. "Oh, and by the   
way, that's Miss Weasley to you." She added with a smirk.  
  
He scowled at her and went back to his potion.  
  
//Yes! Strike one to me!// Ginny thought happily. //Maybe this teacher thing won't be that bad.//  
  
Her thoughts were interupted by Severus speaking.  
  
"Do not get this potion on your skin." He said, "It will cause you to become unconcious and when you  
gain conciousness later, the first person you see you will fall in love with. And," He added with a smile,  
"Amusing though that may be, you will be in detention for a month."  
  
Neville gulped and stepped away from his cauldron quickly. A little too quickly. He walked straight into   
Harry and Jenni's cauldron, knocking the potion all over the floor.  
  
Severus sighed as people shreiked and jumped out of the way.  
  
"Longbottom..." He began.  
  
Draco had a sudden flash of inspiration. Now was his chance.  
  
As Ginny rushed forward to help Neville off his chair, Draco flicked a little of his potion at her. It landed  
on her cheek and she brushed it away without realising what it was.   
  
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you looked at it, Severus also managed to get in the  
way of some of the potion.  
  
Both Ginny and Severus swayed unsteadily, then fell to the floor unconcious. Draco grinned triumphantly  
and watching amusedly as Ron scooped Ginny up to carry her to the hospital wing, and Dean and   
Seamus supported Severus by his shoulders, also going to Madame Pomfrey.  
  
But what no one saw was that Harry had seen what Draco had done. He cursed. The new potion,  
on top of the effect of Harry's one, would have an incredibly strong effect. As soon as they saw each  
other when they woke up, they would be all over each other, and that would ruin Harry (or rather  
Voldemort's) plan.  
  
  
Three Hour's later, the hospital wing  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Severus opened his eyes slowly and wondered why he was in a bed. He suddenly remembered what   
had happened and sat bolt upright.  
  
Luckily, the hospital was desserted, as Madame Pomfrey, sure that neither of them would wake up,  
had gone to the Hall for some lunch. Well, desserted apart from Ginny, who was in the bed next to   
Severus.  
  
He spotted her and immediately fell under the spell's effect.  
  
The feelings he was trying to suppress because of Harry's potion were multiplied by Draco's and he felt  
a strange and overwhelming desire to hold Ginny. It wasn't even as if he wanted her to like him, he just  
wanted to protect her from the world, and he wanted to love her.  
  
//Don't be stupid, Severus.// He told himself sternly. //Snap out of it, she's a student.//  
  
But the warm feeling that filled him didn't subside, no matter how hard he tried to quell it.  
  
He watched the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed and was content by just being close to her. He   
began to think that maybe the work experience wouldn't be that bad.   
  
As he calmed, and looked away at the opposite wall, the feelings subsided.  
  
//Maybe it was only a kind of momentary madness. I don't feel anything other than dislike towards her  
really.// He thought.  
  
But when he glanced across at her again, a fire began to burn inside him once more. She just looked  
so fragile lying asleep that he wanted to -  
  
//No Severus! Stop it! You're just being stupid!// He stopped his previous train of thought quickly.  
  
There was nothing to be done about it, he would just have to stay away from her.   
  
He groaned. The work experience! He'd be spending every single day with her.   
  
//Actually, maybe I'll enjoy it.... No, no, no. God, Severus, you're turning into a dirty old man. It's   
nothing serious, just an infatuation. It won't last. Just stick it out and it'll go away.//  
  
Nothing could change. He would have to carry on as he always did, snapping at her and being horrible.  
He shuddered. How long would he be able to last?  
  
~~~  
  
Meanwhile, Harry sat, apparently deep in thought. However, it was not Harry that was thinking. Harry's  
conciousness was trapped in a tiny part of his mind, helpless, while the majority was taken over by  
Voldemort. Voldemort's conciousness was busy thinking about the next step.  
  
Now that the two of them were even more likely to 'fall in love', the plot would have to procceed   
earlier than planned. That was no problem. He'd just have to work fast.  
  
High, cold laughter filled Harry's head. Soon, they would be so befuddled by the potions that the Casket   
of Artemis would be as good as his. And control of the elements along with it. Earth would be powerless   
to resist him. He would have the power that he longed for, and once more the dark powers would rule   
over Earth.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued......  



	4. Becoming

Chapter 4: Becoming  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Next Day, Severus's Classroom  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"For goodness sake, Weasley!" Severus finally snapped, "Be careful!"  
  
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." Ginny stammered, bending to pick up the pieces of broken glass.  
  
All day, she'd been distracted by standing near him. She couldn't concentrate when he was near her   
and she didn't know why. She cringed at the thought of him shouting at her, she'd been trying all day   
to get things right and impress him, but it hadn't worked. So far she'd been even more clumsy than   
usual.  
  
"Oh, move out of the way!" he snapped.   
  
She jumped out of the way like a cat on hot coals as he bent to pick up the pieces of glass.  
  
She watched his face, his eyes focused on the floor, the frown on his forehead more accentuated than  
normal, and got a strange sense of longing.   
  
//You're missing Harry// She told herself. //Snape reminds you of him...for some reason.//  
  
As if he sensed her stare, he stood up, turning to look at her.  
  
"Yes, Miss Weasley?" He asked her.  
  
She jumped.  
  
"What? Oh nothing." She blushed, "Sorry, Proffessor."  
  
"Hmmm." Severus eyed her suspiciously, secretly longing to grab her hand that was brushing away her   
hair and hold it. "Ouch!" He cried. He held up his finger to the light and saw that he had cut it with the   
glass and there was blood flowing out of the cut.  
  
"Oh, sir! I'm sorry!" Ginny said, apologising in advance so that he couldn't blame her.  
  
"No, no. It's not your fault." He said, dropping the glass in the waste paper basket and inspecting the  
cut. "It's deep. I'll have to go to Madame Pomfrey."  
  
"She's not there." Ginny blurted, having just been to see Madame Pomfrey for treatment for her   
dizziness and lack of concentration, only to find her not there, "I think she's talking to Proffessor  
Dumbledore."  
  
"Damn." Severus pulled out his wand with the other hand and muttered a few words. Out of nowhere  
appeared water, antiseptic fluid and a band aid. While trying to keep his finger from spilling even more  
blood, Severus struggled to unscrew the antiseptic bottle top.  
  
"Here, let me." Ginny quickly took the bottle from Severus and unscrewed the top. As Severus watched   
her, she tipped a little of the fluid onto a piece of gauze. "This is going to hurt." She told him. He was  
amazed at the transformation from fumbling, clumsy girl into smart, quick young woman, taking  
control quickly when she needed to.  
  
Too suprised too protest, Severus watched as Ginny took his hand and began to dab at the cut.   
  
"Ouch!" He said, pulling his hand away.  
  
"I warned you." Ginny told him, and continued to clean the cut. Tenderly, she wiped away the blood   
from Severus's finger and inspected the wound. "It doesn't look like there's any glass in it, but it's   
deep. If you eat plenty of chocolate it should heal quite quickly." She told him in a sharp, efficient   
manner. "You'll need this on it though."  
  
She uncovered the band aid and stuck it over the cut.   
  
Subconciously, she allowed her fingers to drift over Severus's hand, brushing it's cold skin.  
  
Severus cleared his throat and she let go of his hand as if dropping a firework.  
  
"Thank you, Miss Weasley... Ginny." Severus said.  
  
Ginny blushed again, and hated herself for doing so.  
  
"That's okay, Proffessor." She stood up quickly, "I need to go and mark this homework." She said.   
Severus had decided that as she was meant to be doing work experience, she could mark the   
homework of the first to fifth years, something which she didn't mind as it meant she didn't have to   
spend time doing nothing in the Gryffindor common room, watching Harry fawn over Jenni.  
  
She picked up the pile of papers and began to walk out.  
  
"Goodnight, Proffessor." She said, cringing at how it came out, in a sweet, caring sort of way.  
  
"Yes." Severus replied. "You could stay and mark the essays in here..." He suggested in a last minute   
attempt at trying to spend more time with Ginny, "You could use the books to help you."  
  
Ginny looked uncertain and Severus prayed she would accept his feeble reason for staying.  
  
"Well... Okay then." She smiled at him, feeling somehow as if she liked him more after the incident  
moments before with the glass.  
  
"Good." Severus tried to keep his own smile from showing.  
  
Ginny sat down again at the desk and began to work, trying to ignore the fact that she was sure he   
was watching her.  
  
Hours passed, an easy silence settling in the room as they both marked essays, Severus sometimes  
stopping to watch her working while she stared intently at the papers and occaisionally pushed her hair,   
which fell around her in red waves, behind her ear.  
  
Severus looked at the clock on the wall and suddenly realised that it was one o'clock in the morning.  
  
"Miss We- " He began, then changed his mind, "Ginny, it's getting late. Or rather," He pointed at the   
clock, "early."  
  
Ginny looked up, startled and followed his gaze to the clock.  
  
"Oh!" She cried, "I have to go!"  
  
"Yes." Severus desperately tried to think of something to stall her, "Would you like a cup of tea before  
you go?" He asked.  
  
"Um... Yes please. If it's not too much trouble." Ginny smiled at him and he got a sunny feeling,   
something which he never experienced, in his heart.  
  
"Of course." He pulled out his wand again and muttered some words, pointing it at the desk. A teapot  
appeared, with steam coming out of the spout and was closely followed by two cups. "Please, help  
yourself." He indicated her to pour herself a drink.  
  
As they sat back and sipped their tea, Severus cast his mind about for something to talk about.  
  
"So, what did Potter do to you last week?" He asked, reffering to when he had almost been knocked   
over by Ginny running out of the classroom, chased by Harry.  
  
Ginny blushed, then felt tears well in her eyes.  
  
//Oh, not now.// She thought.  
  
//Damn. Nice one, Severus// He thought, //Great way to start a conversation.//  
  
"I'm sorry." He said, "That was insensitive of me."  
  
"No, it's okay. It's just... I'd rather not talk about it." She said, regaining her composure.  
  
"He didn't... do anything did he?" Severus asked, suddenly worried.  
  
"No, no!" Ginny blushed even more, "Nothing like that!"  
  
"Good."  
  
They sank into an awkward silence again and Ginny studied the grain of the wood on the table to avoid  
looking at Severus.  
  
Suddenly, someone banged on the door.  
  
"Proffessor Snape! Proffessor Snape!" Someone called.  
  
Severus jumped up and ran to the door, opening it to be faced with a panting and very out of breath  
fourth year.  
  
"Proffessor Snape!" The boy said, "Something's happened to Hagrid! You're needed down by the forest!  
Proffessor Dumbledore said to bring some healing stuff with you! Madame Pomfrey's there already, but  
they need you as well!"  
  
Severus nodded and the boy ran off down the corridor, no doubt to rouse the other teachers.  
  
He turned to Ginny.  
  
"Go back to your dormitory. And be careful," He told her, "I've got a feeling this is something to do with  
Voldemort."  
  
"But something's happened to Hagrid!" She cried, standing up.  
  
"There's nothing you can do." Severus said sternly, "Go back to your dormitory." He repeated.  
  
"But -" She began.  
  
" - No, Ginny." He interupted, while shoving potions and ingredients from the shelves into a bag. "Don't  
tell anyone about this. Everyone'll start panicking."  
  
Ginny nodded, her anxiety showing on her face.  
  
Severus ran out of the room, his robes flowing behind him making him look like some kind of giant bat.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued.......  
  
  



	5. Finding Out

Chapter 5: Finding Out  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny stood, staring after Severus, wondering what she should do.  
  
//Why am I wondering?// She asked herself //Just go back to the dorm. But Hagrid's been hurt. I won't  
be able to sleep without knowing what's happened. And surely I'll be safer if I just stay here. So that's  
what I'll do. I'll wait until Severus - Proffessor Snape- gets back.//  
  
Mind made up, she sat down and tried to start marking the essays again. It was no use, she was too  
worried. But she wasn't just worried about Hagrid, she was worried about Severus out there while  
Voldemort was obviously still around.   
  
As the minutes ticked by, she could concentrate less and less on the papers, but was continually  
glancing at the clock, waiting for the sound of footsteps. In the end, she threw down her quill and   
picked up the book that Severus had been reading.   
  
'Greek Legends Of Magical Origin' read the title. It looked fairly interesting, so Ginny opened it on the  
page that Severus had marked and began to read the story of Persephone and Hades.  
  
~~~  
  
An hour passed and Ginny was asleep, her head resting on her arm, still holding the book. Suddenly,   
she heard the footsteps she'd been waiting for and jerked awake. She lifted her head just as Severus  
walked in. As she saw him, her heart lifted with relief and she subconciously realised her feelings for  
him were deeper than friendship.  
  
He was covered in mud, and under the layer of grime he was even paler than usual. His eyes looked   
slightly glazed.  
  
"G-ginny." He muttered, "I thought I told you to go."  
  
"I wanted to stay here." She answered.   
  
He swayed unsteadily and she rushed to support him. She helped him sit down on the couch and  
looked at him warily.  
  
"What happened?" She asked.  
  
"It was Voldemort." Severus said quietly. He sank his head into his hands, "Hagrid's dead. I couldn't   
save him, it was Avada Kedavra."  
  
"No..." Ginny whispered. Hagrid was dead.  
  
Severus began to shake uncontrollably.  
  
"Voldemort's back. That was a warning." He said, "He's warning us that we're next."  
  
"No..." Ginny repeated, "Hagrid..."  
  
"I'm sorry," Severus whispered, "I failed. I couldn't save him."  
  
Ginny snapped out of her trance.  
  
"It wasn't your fault." She said sternly. No one could have done anything."  
  
"It was just like old days. When he killed Lily and James." Severus said sadly. "I couldn't do anything   
then, and I couldn't do anything now."  
  
"Don't say that, sir!" Ginny said. She put a hand on his arm gently and when he didn't move, she kept  
it there. "You need to get cleaned up, you're filthy."  
  
Severus raised his head and looked her with a strange expression on his face.  
  
"Do you understand?" He asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"This. Do you understand this?"  
  
"I don't know what you mean." She said, moving her hand away, but he caught it and held it, looking  
at her with a strange intensity.  
  
"Do you feel it too?" He asked her.  
  
"What?" She asked again, knowing pefectly well what he meant. She felt it too.  
  
"This link between us. It's like... you know me."  
  
"I know what you mean." She said quietly.  
  
Ginny was amazed at the transformation she saw. Now he looked human, and sounded human,   
admitting he had feelings. Her heart leapt at what he could mean.  
  
"Good."  
  
She looked into his eyes for the first time and was shocked to see openess, as if he wanted her to  
know him.  
  
"What..." She began "What do you feel about me?"  
  
"Truthfully?" He asked. She nodded. "I think there's a deeper link between us. A link that there   
shouldn't be between a teacher and a student. At least I feel that way. You?"  
  
"I... I guess I feel the same way." She paused, afraid to ask the next question.  
  
"What do we do now?" He asked, as if reading her mind. "Now we know how we feel, do you think  
we should leave things as they are?"   
  
Ginny nodded, silently disappointed. But what else had she been hoping for?  
  
"And listen," He said, "I'm sorry about Hagrid."  
  
"Oh God. I forgot." Ginny said, shocked that she'd been more interested in what Severus had said.   
She felt tears well up again. "How could he die? He never hurt a fly." She brushed the tears away,  
not wanting to cry in front of Severus. To her suprise, he placed his hand on hers.  
  
"He didn't feel any pain." Severus said gently.  
  
Ginny nodded, sniffing.  
  
"Here." He held out a handkerchief to her and she took it gratefully, wiping her eyes.  
  
Severus watched her, and felt terrible because he couldn't do anything to help Hagrid. Truth be told,   
Hagrid was the one member of staff other than Proffessor Dumbledore that Severus had the slightest  
respect for. There was something in Hagrid's gruff manner that made Severus have a kind of grudging   
respect for him. He was suprised to feel a minute sadness at the loss of Hagrid.  
  
He suprised himself even more to find himself reaching for Ginny and pulling her towards him. He held  
her in a fatherly kind of way as she sobbed into his shoulder. He stroked her hair and waited for the   
sobbing to subside.  
  
Eventually, Ginny sniffed and drew away from him. Actually, Ginny had quite enjoyed Severus holding  
her, as had he, and had therefore 'cried' for longer than was neccessary.  
  
She wiped her eyes, and Severus looked at her worredly.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." Ginny nodded, "Thank you."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"I don't know." She smiled.  
  
"I'll walk you back to your common room." He said, forgetting that he was covered in fifteen litres of  
mud.  
  
"Not looking like that you won't." Ginny said.  
  
"Oh. I'll go and get cleaned up." He said. On the way out of the room, he felt a sudden urge to smile,  
something that he hadn't done for a long time. Turning back to Ginny, he smiled at her, and the effect  
of it on his face was amazing.   
  
Ginny smiled back, then was left alone, wondering about what had happened.  
  
//I've just basically told a teacher I'm in love with him.// She thought //And how come I am? I've only  
'known' him five minutes. Even for my standards, this is weird. And how different he is. I'd never   
thought of him as having feelings, let alone ever saying things like he's just said to me. Hasn't this all   
happened a bit fast?//  
  
Minutes later, Severus came back into the room, rubbing his hair with a towel, now in mud free robes.  
  
//Oh my god,// Ginny thought, //He's washed his hair.//  
  
Having just discovered how to smile again, Severus had decided to do it more often, and started by   
smiling broadly at Ginny. The look on her face was priceless.  
  
~~~  
  
Meanwhile, Voldemort (still in Harry's body) was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, cursing the   
blazing fire under his breath, wishing he could be in the dungeons, in the cold and dark with the   
Slytherins. But, being in Harry's body prevented him from being able to do so, and he could not give up   
the strategic advantage that came from using Harry as a host.  
  
He thought over what his next action would be.  
  
First, he would make sure that the girl and the traitor were significantly attatched until starting on   
the next step.  
  
Second, he would make his way to the holding place, and find the casket.  
  
Thirdly, he would announce his dominance to the world, and no one would be able to stop him.  
  
Inside harry's head, the laughter exploded once more, causing Harry's conciousness to shrink with   
pain.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. The Plot

Chapter 6: The Plot  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Ginny sat once again next to Severus at the staff table, wishing away the tears that were welling up.  
  
She looked up at Professor Dumbledore's grave face as he addressed the school.  
  
"... Hagrid was a well respected, and well loved, member of our school." He said.  
  
A quiet sob from the Gryffindor table, no doubt from Hermione, broke the silence.  
  
"Many of you knew Hagrid not only as a teacher, but as a friend, and I would ask you to join me in a  
minute's silence in the memory of a dear friend." Professor Dumbledore finished, his eyes glistening.  
  
He bowed his head and the rest of the hall fell completely silent, with the exception of Hermione's   
crying and Proffessor McGonagall blowing her nose.  
  
Ginny bit her lip and raised her eyes to the bewitched ceiling, praying that she wouldn't break down.   
She found unexpected comfort in Severus's hand, which covered hers discreetly under the table.  
  
At the end of one minute, Professor Dumbledore spoke again, making everyone jump.  
  
"On an even more serious note, I believe you will all be wondering what killed Hagrid. I cannot lie to   
you and tell you that he was ill or was the victim of a terrible accident. The truth is that Hagrid was killed  
by Voldemort."  
  
A horrified gasp came from three quarters of the hall. Ginny looked over at the Slytherin table and   
her eyes narrowed as she saw Malfoy and co. laughing quietly.  
  
"I do not wish to alarm you, however I believe that you deserve to know the truth." Dumbledore   
continued. "Do not be afraid to walk the corridors of this school, I assure you that while I am here  
I shall do everything within my power to protect you. But do not take any unneccesary risks. Do not   
walk out of the school building after dark. Do not visit the Forbidden Forest." He sighed, "You may   
continue with your breakfast."  
  
He resumed his seat.  
  
Ginny looked around the hall. The first thing she noticed was Hermione, being held by Ron, and being  
consoled by the rest of a devasted Gryffindor table. With the exception of Harry. Ginny was both   
suprised and disturbed when she saw him sitting, as though he had not heard Dumbledore's words,   
completely still and silent, focussing on a patch of wall opposite him.  
  
//Oh God,// She thought, //Maybe he's reacted to this worse than I thought he would. After all, Hagrid's  
the closest thing Harry had to a father.//  
  
Seeing Harry's unfeeling face, Ginny decided to go down and talk to him. Before Severus could stop  
her, she was walking towards the Gryffindor table. Unfortunately, to get there she had to pass Malfoy  
and the Slytherins. Severus predicted trouble and stood up, ready to prevent any curses or   
bewitchments.   
  
As Ginny walked past the Slytherin table, she heard a loud drawling voice say,  
  
"Well, that's one less mudblood in the world. It's a start."  
  
Turning bright red, she span round and stormed towards him, her vision clouding over in a sea of red.  
The other Slytherins, seeing her stride towards them, scurried out of her way.  
  
"What did you say?" She hissed at Malfoy.  
  
"What, Weasley?" He asked lazily.  
  
"What did you just say?" She repeated in a dangerously quiet tone.  
  
"I said -" He began.  
  
" - I know what you said." She interupted. She pulled her hand back and saw his eyes widen with   
shock just before she slapped him across the cheek as hard and as stingingly as she could.  
  
She looked satisfied at the red hand print visible on his cheek and smiled grimly.  
  
"Never insult my friends again." She growled. "You call Hagrid a mudblood," She scoffed, "He's  
a hundred times a better person than you are."  
  
Malfoy seemed to get over the shock of being slapped and his eyes narrowed,  
  
"Whatever, Weasley. Just remember one thing," He sneered, "He was just the first to go. He was just   
used as a test for Voldemort's powers. It was a shame to waste such good power on a thing like him.  
But don't worry, you and your boyfriend'll be next."  
  
Ginny felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She felt tears spring to her eyes and angrily tried   
to will them away, but it was no use. Malfoy laughed coldly and began to walk away. However, at   
the moment Ginny had slapped Malfoy, Severus had stepped forward, and had heard all of what   
Malfoy said.   
  
He stepped forward once again and grabbed Malfoy by the scruff of the neck.  
  
"Don't dare speak to Miss Weasley, or any teacher, like that again, mister Malfoy." He warned.  
  
"Sorry, sir." Malfoy sneered.  
  
"I mean it, Malfoy." Severus whispered, "I'm just about through with you and your father. A family of  
evil, all of you." He was about to go on, but Professor Dumbledore called to him from the staff table,  
  
"Severus! Miss Weasley! Please come to my office!"   
  
Severus grudgingly let go of Malfoy's robes and dropped him. He turned and stalked angrily out,   
followed by Ginny who kept her head down and tried to ingnore the silence and the hundreds of eyes  
that followed them, still stinging from the remarks Malfoy had made.  
  
  
Proffessor Dumbledore's office  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Severus, Ginny." Dumbledore said gravely, sitting calmly behind his desk as Severus trode around the room   
and Ginny sat demurely on a chair, her eyes still red from crying, "I'm sorry for the loss of Hagrid, Ginny."  
  
"I know." She replied, "Thank you, sir."  
  
"It's quite alright. Now," Dumbledore clasped his hands and leant his elbows on the table, "Severus please sit  
down, you're making me dizzy walking in circles."  
  
"Sorry, Professor." He said quietly and sat down next to Ginny.  
  
"As you know," Dumbledore began, "I have spies in every corner of the magical world. One of them recently   
brought me some news." He paused, "Peter Pettigrew will be making a trip to a muggle hotel to complete a   
deal with one of Voldemort's informers. I want you two to go there and 'bug' I believe the expression is, his   
conversation."  
  
"And how do we do that, Professor?" Severus asked.  
  
"I have devised a plan." Dumbledore stood up and began to pace around the room, "You will travel to the muggle  
hotel in the disguise of a newly married couple." He looked hard at Ginny and Severus and saw the look he   
expected on their faces. "Where you will stay in the room opposite Pettigrews. I will perform a charm making   
you able to hear their conversation, and you will report back to me with the details."  
  
"I suspect this is one of those 'easier said than done' plans, Professor." Severus said.  
  
"Exactly, Severus. Don't worry, I'm sure everything will go fine."  
  
  
The Next Day, A Muggle Hotel Somewhere  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny and Severus stood in the lobby of the rather impressive hotel and gazed about them. The carpet was   
royal blue and the walls were sparkling marble.   
  
"Wow!" Ginny whispered to Severus, "Talk about expensive taste!"  
  
Severus, to heighten the illusion, had one arm wrapped around Ginny's waist, something which neither of them  
were complaining about.  
  
"Hmm." Severus said suspiciously, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"We'd better get up to the room, we've got to set everything up before they get here." She said.  
  
Severus nodded unsmilingly and was about to turn round when Ginny's eyes widened and she gasped loudly.   
She grabbed Severus' arm to stop him from turning round and he placed his other hand on her waist. Now he had   
both his arms round Ginny's waist and couldn't see anything behind him.  
  
"What?" Severus whispered.  
  
"Okay, don't look now, but our friends have shown up early." She whispered back.  
  
"Who is it?" Severus asked.  
  
"Pettigrew and a three people I don't know." She answered. "Oh my God!" She whispered, "They're coming  
over! They're coming over! What'll we do?"   
  
"What?!" Severus hissed.  
  
"I think they've seen us!" Ginny hissed back, "Do something!"  
  
"If you insist." Severus whispered and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He felt her stiffen in his arms in suprise,   
then relax and return the kiss, wrapping her arms round his neck.  
  
//Okay,// He thought, //I should probably stop now... I will do... In a minute... Maybe...//  
  
Slowly, cautiously, Ginny drew away from him and gave him a look of complete and utter shock.  
  
"Have they gone?" Severus whispered hoarsely.  
  
"I think so... Yes, they have." Ginny said.  
  
"Good. We need to get to the room. And quickly."   
  
They walked over to the reception desk and Ginny smiled at the girl behind it. Severus stood stonily and gazed   
around in an unimpressed way.  
  
"Hi, we've booked the honeymoon suite." Ginny said.  
  
"Name?" Asked the girl, who stopped filing her nails to flick through the bookings list.  
  
"Smith." Ginny said, "Mr and Mrs Smith." She flashed Severus a look and stepped on his toe discreetly to make   
pay attention as the girl was giving him a strange look.  
  
"Yeah." The girl stood up and walked lazily to the hooks at the back of the reception. "Here." She threw the key  
to Ginny. "Top o'the stairs. Ye canna miss it."  
  
"Thank you." Severus smiled icily at her, but she had gone back to her nails.  
  
Severus held the door open for Ginny and they began to climb the wide, impressive staircase.  
  
"At least we're somewhere decent." Ginny said quietly. "It's better than the Leaky Cauldron."  
  
Severus nodded absent mindedly, eyes narrowed as he watched for anyone following them.  
  
It was a long climb up to the top of three flights of stairs, especially carrying bags, as they were. They reached   
the end of a long landing and Severus unlocked the door, pushing it open to reveal the most beautiful room   
Ginny had ever seen.  
  
"Wow!" She said again.  
  
Severus remained silent.  
  
Ginny immeadiately ran through one of the doors. She came back a minute later, squealing,  
  
"The bed's squishy!" Then she blushed as she realised that there was only one bed.  
  
//Well it's a Honeymoon Suite, what did you expect?// She scolded herself.  
  
"I'll take the couch." Severus said, turning away to dump the bags. She blushed and turned away.  
  
"Let's get this set up then." She said, indicating the large window, which looked directly into the room opposite.  
  
Severus took out his wand and muttered a few words. Why was he always so damn secretive? Ginny never   
heard any of the spells he said.  
  
"There." He said. "All done."  
  
"What did you do?" She asked.  
  
"Now we can hear everything that's said in that room." Severus told her. "All we have to do now is wait."  
  
"Ooh, what fun." Ginny said, sarcastically.  
  
"I know I'm not very interesting company," Severus said, "But you don't have to rub it in."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Ginny rubbed her eyes, "It's just been a long day. And these muggle  
clothes make me uncomfortable." She tugged at the jeans she was wearing.  
  
"Go and put some robes on if you want." Severus said, "I suspect that being in a honeymoon suite, they'll leave   
us alone." He said dryly.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose. I won't be long." She told him.  
  
"I'll have a look round." He said, wandering over to the fridge to see what was in there. He raised an eyebrow.  
Champagne.  
  
He hunted around for two glasses. If they provided champagne, he wasn't going to miss out.  
  
//God, why does this feel so right?// He thought. //It feels like I should really be married to her. I've not been this   
happy for a long time. I may as well have some fun. Fun. That word sounds very strange. God, what am I thinking?  
I'm miserable. That's what I do. And no Weasley is going to change that.//  
  
Ginny came out of the bedroom, interupting Severus's thoughts.  
  
She was dressed in a simple deep green robe that was fitted around the bust and waist. It was quite low cut and  
Severus felt that averting his eyes politely was the onlt thing he could do.  
  
"You look nice." He said, feeling as stupid as he sounded.  
  
"Thanks." Ginny grinned, "I'm afraid this is years old." She said, "I think my grandma used to wear it."  
  
"It suits you."  
  
"Thanks." Ginny said again.  
  
They sank into an uneasy silence, not knowing what to do or say.  
  
"Oh, by the way. I found this in the fridge."  
  
"What is it?" Ginny asked.  
  
"It's called champagne." He explained, "It's a muggle drink. Would you like some?"  
  
"Are you sure?" She asked, "Aren't we meant to be watching the room?"  
  
"We have to do something while we wait." Severus said.   
  
//And getting drunk sounds pretty appealing.// He thought.  
  
"Okay!" Ginny laughed, "You've twisted my arm!"   
  
Severus half-smiled and concentrated on pouring two glasses of champagne.  
  
Ginny watched him and was suprised by the change that had overcome him since they left the school. Gone was   
cold, sad, weary face, and it was replaced by a slightly happy smiling one that Ginny thought suited him much   
better. He looked as if the world had been lifted off his shoulders. He still hadn't actually gotten round to laughing,  
though.  
  
Severus handing her a glass interupted her reverie.  
  
"Here." He said, handing her the glass. "Here's to getting drunk." He said dryly.  
  
//And here's to us// He thought silently, not knowing that the same thought crossed Ginny's mind.  
  
They held each other's gaze over the top of the glasses as they sipped the champagne.  
  
Ginny knew that the atmosphere was getting closer in the room and that it was dangerous to flirt like this. She   
could see that something that shouldn't was going to happen, but she did nothing about it. As Severus had said,  
'Here's to getting drunk.'  
  
//He's so different// Ginny mused once more, regarding Severus silently over the rim of her glass, //He's so   
witty. Not intentionally so, just sarcastic. I wish he's laugh.//  
  
Severus stood up and pulled himself onto the couch, one arm outstretched over the back of the piece of furniture.  
  
He took another sip of champagne and Ginny watched him from her place on the floor. Suddenly, she too stood  
up and sat at the opposite end of the couch.  
  
"Do you want to watch T.V. or something?" Severus asked awkwardly, not knowing what 'young people' did.  
  
"T.V.?" Ginny wondered out loud, then remembered her Muggle Studdies lessons, "Oh! Television!"  
  
Severus smiled inwardly and reached for the remote control. The first channel he came across featured wrestling.   
  
"Urgh." Ginny said, "No thanks."  
  
Severus flicked channels again, then landed on Sky Movie Premiere. 'Titanic' it seemed, had just started.  
  
"Ah, I've heard about this." Severus said, "Most expensive film ever made." He told her.  
  
"I've never seen a muggle film before." Ginny said, "Can we watch this?"  
  
"Of course." Severus said, settling back against the couch, deciding that watching soppy films wouldn't be too  
bad. It's not as if they had anything else to do...  
  
//Well, actually....// His brain began, //No, stop it!// He commanded himself.  
  
  
Nearly Three hours Later  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ginny sniffed and wiped her eyes at the scene showing on the T.V. screen. It was just up to the bit where   
they're both in the water and Rose is telling Jack she'll never let him go.  
  
Severus glanced across at Ginny and was alarmed to see her crying.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked.  
  
"Yes," She sniffed, "This is just so sad."  
  
"Yes." Severus replied for lack of anything else to say.  
  
Suddenly, the air became filled with a static sound.  
  
Ginny jumped.  
  
"What's that?" She squeaked.  
  
Severus jumped up and peered around the curtains.  
  
"They're in there." Severus hissed.  
  
"Who...?" Ginny asked... "Oh!"  
  
She too stood up and peered around the curtain. She gasped at what she saw.  
  
"It can't be!" She gasped. "Not him!"  
  
Severus just stared at who he saw standing doing business with Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"Damn you..." He growled.  
  
  
  
  
To Be Continued....  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  



End file.
